The District Technology Advisory Committee discussed ways to improve the acceptable student technology use policy, analyzed the student technology survey results, and examined a technology infrastructure and digital literacy report at their meeting on Feb 11.

The committee, composed of technologists, students, parents, teachers, administrators, school board and community members, examines issues related to technology, discusses current programs, and shares ideas to support effective learning.

At the meeting, the committee first reviewed the responsible student technology use policy. The main points of the policy enforce responsible and safe use of technology.

High school technology coordinator Jana Branisa said getting students to follow and respect the policy is a major hurdle.

“It’s like any law, like any policy,” Branisa said. “You make people responsible for knowing it, and then you assume best intentions.”

Suggestions to improve student compliancy included creating acronyms or mnemonics to help students remember the rules, ensuring the rules are realistic and reasonable, and implementing the policy both at school and at home.

The committee then began to discuss results from the voluntary student technology survey, which was emailed to students 3 through 12 grade.

“The main goals were to find out what sort of devices and how students use technology,” instructional technology coordinator Stephanie Griffin said.

Branisa said the survey data provides amazing leverage that can help teachers and educators make important decisions.

“I’m a big believer in asking questions, aggregating the data, looking for patterns, looking for trends,” Branisa said. “[The statistical data] is leverage to take to the board, to the community, to the parents, to whatever group we need to and say, we need this.”

Following the survey discussion, Griffin briefly presented a technology infrastructure and digital literacy report. One of the primary goals is to improve PHS, PMS, and Millennium’s infrastructure, which are not up to current standards.

“We need to improve the infrastructure so that we can put in more Wi-fi access, so we have a density, not just a coverage,” Branisa said. “So that our goal, that one to one learning, happens.”

The committee will hold their next meeting on April 29. All Piedmont students, parents, and other community members are welcome to attend.